Settling a Deal
by Senorita Sassybuns
Summary: After disposing of the burdensome engagement ring, James refreshes his plan and jumps on the first opportunity that barges into his smoothie shop to finally get the girl of his dreams. The last in series R&R!


**AN: the final segment you all (hopefully) have been waiting for! If you were losing hope on this ever popping up, my apologies. **

**Last time we left James, he had just chucked the engagement ring to his girlfriend, Zoey, over the Millennium bridge into the Thames river**. **Enjoy!**

"What the hell was that about?" Harry demanded angrily, having thought his son was going to jump over the edge of the bridge.

They were walking calmly back to the Ministry. James' angsty self had, as quickly as it had come, vanished. He was in his usual spirits again.

"You see dad, I've come to realize something," James said lightly, turning sharply down the alley that lead to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry followed, even though he had a pile of paper work on his desk that was due in three hours.

"What exactly did you realize?" Harry pressed, following the man into the brick arch that lead to Diagon Alley.

"That ring was no good. Rotten luck was all that thing brought me and it had to mean something," James continued. "You see, that ring I had bought was cursed."

"Cursed?"

"Yes, cursed. It didn't want me to propose to Zoey and it made sure that everytime I tried, something, or _someone_ ruined everything," James slipped into a jewelry store that was across the street from George's joke shop. He browsed the wide selection of engagement rings with his father breathing down his neck, which was quite annoying. Sometimes, Harry could be worse than his mother and that was saying something.

"You know, dad, you don't have to be here anymore. In fact, you can just go back to the auror office. I'm sure you have tons to get done."

"Are you trying to tell me that you spent a large sum of money on a ring, the ring you just tossed into the river like it was a some fish only to spend another large sum of money on a different ring?" Harry raised an eyebrow, ignoring James' last statement.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you. You make it sound like a problem," James further inspected a ring that looked to be a flower made out of diamonds and pink topaz.

"That is a problem! Engagement rings are expensive, James. You can't just go around buying really expensive things all the time. You need to save your money for things you need to pay, like rent, your store, food–"

"You sound like mum," James said nonchalantly. He was hardly listening to his father. Why should he? It's his money and he needs it now.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"No. I'll take this one," James said to the sales rep that was standing nearby. The lady rang up the 150 galleon ring. It was a pearl with a slight golden tinge to it surrounded by diamonds with a gold band. Just the ring he needed to conquer the undiscovered, treacherous land of marriage.

"Well, it's been nice to see you dad," James said cheerfully as he left the jewelry and walked into his own business, that was bustling with customers as it often was. His father was standing there, his eyes still the size of bludgers (they grew that size after witnessing James purchase his ring that was 75 galleons more than the last one he bought).

"What am I going to do with that boy?" Harry mumbled to himself as he disapparated back to the ministry.

James slipped the new ring inside his pocket, jumped behind the counter and started filling smoothie orders. He was making a Cocoberry Bliss for some random person that he's seen a million times before, but never actually spoke to when Zoey stormed into the building, and marched right up to the counter. She was an 'in your face' kind of girl that James found to be adorable. Like the little puppy his dad brought home one time, muttering something about a shed and chocolate cake.

"Is this supposed to be some sick, twisted, joke?" She practically yelled at him, showing the empty ting box. "You storm into my office, a raging lunatic, and throw this _empty_ box at me, and expect me to marry you?"

"I'll admit it wasn't the ideal proposal," James said, handing the loyal customer their order. "However, I was stressed. Nothing was working and I lost my cool."

"Oh and you have your cool back now?"

"Yes, clearly."

"You are more moody than a pregnant woman!" Zoey exclaimed.

"Hey, I'm a damn good looking pregnant woman," James defended. "So, are you going to marry me or not?"

"No."

"What?"

"You heard me."

James felt the entire world crashing down around him. The curse of the last ring he was still upon him. His only hope was to try and smooth everything over with the new ring. He pulled the ring out of the box and with a shaky hand, held the ring out.

"How about now?"

"You think that holding out a ring...a very nice looking ring, with a pearl...I love pearls, that I am going to change my mind?" Zoey asked. Her eyes never left the ring in James' hand.

"Why did you even say no?"

"Because I didn't want to give you the satisfaction of knowing that you can throw a ring box at me and I will marry you."

"So you will marry me?"

"On one condition," a smile crept across Zoey's face.

"What?"

"I want proper proposal. One knee, speech, the whole nine yards."

James sighed in exasperation. He was not going to subject himself to such cliche actions. A light bulb went off in his head and he knew just what to do to get him out of this situation. "How about this: I don't give you a proper proposal, but we go to Sonoma California instead."

Zoey pondered this, "do I get to keep the pearl?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

"Do you accept my proposal?"

"Yes."

"Then here you go," James slid the ring on her finger. He made a mental note to start planning a trip to California. He'll have to think of some new smoothie choices if he wanted to pay for it. Harry was right, he couldn't go throwing money around like snow in December. The second ring was necessary, but the trip not so much. Wait, he's getting married! In order to get married, one must have a wedding. And after weddings are honeymoons! Trip to Sonoma solved.

In the end, maybe the best proposals are the ones treated like business transactions.


End file.
